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Johnson Named Dean for College of Business

Fontbonne University has named Jay Johnson dean of the Eckelkamp College of Global Business and Professional Studies, effective June 16. Johnson will oversee the university’s undergraduate and graduate business programs, including those in the evening and online division. He will replace Linda Magrath, dean since 2004, who is retiring from the position to teach full time.

“Jay’s energy, experience and student-centered leadership style make him an ideal choice for this position,” said J. Michael Pressimone, Fontbonne’s incoming president. “With his business acumen and personable nature, we hope to enhance our suite of programs while, at the same, time, forge stronger bonds with St. Louis-based businesses.”

Since 2009, Johnson has served as the MBA director and business, leadership, and technology division chair for the graduate school of Friends University in Wichita, Kan., where he is an associate professor of business and technology. Prior to that, he oversaw the graduate business department at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., where he was also an assistant professor of business, and the business department at North Central Missouri College in Trenton, Mo. Since 1992, Johnson has also served as the vice president of Johnson Land & Development Company out of Gallatin, Mo., most recently in a fiduciary role.

“I’m very excited about this time of transition and joining the Fontbonne University community,” said Johnson. “Fontbonne offers so many tools and talented people who can benefit the region. I look forward to getting involved in the local business community to collaborate, connect and make lives better through education.”

Johnson, a native of Gallatin, Mo., earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business – Marketing from Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., in 1996, an MBA from William Woods University in Fulton, Mo., in 2003, and a Doctor of Educational Leadership from the University of Missouri - Columbia in 2008.